Women take your place in security issues

In my community when a woman leaves her home no matter the cause, she is considered to have failed in her duties of maintaining peace, unity and harmony in her home. Many have endured abusive relationships just to make sure peace reigns though it is often taken for granted. I remember once my mother made up her mind and left our home because my father was abusing her, my siblings and I fought each other every day since we were always hungry and left to fend for ourselves. Other women blamed her for betraying us and our father most especially. Many people advised my father to get another wife if he wanted peace in his life and his family. Though my mother much against her wish came back we had peace and were sure of food, clean clothes and above all protection from bullying.

Then I didn’t understand the strength of a woman in ensuring peace and security in a home but I do now because I find myself doing those things in the name of peace to reign so that my children can get a secured future. I don’t want them to undergo emotional stress living in a home full of violence and abuse. This is the basis for which women are considered to be trained to endure domestic violence in many communities.

After the drafting of the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 which highlights the position of women and girls in issues of war and armed conflict, I could not help but relate the concept of enhancing peace by a woman in her home to ensuring universal peace and security. My claim is based on the assertion that socialization processes in most communities around the world places a challenge on women to be compassionate and caring towards humanity a quality many egocentric humans can’t have.

In this regard, I consider security to be a struggle by those who value and cater for humanity to have justice and peace for all in every domain of life. This implies that women are the only ones who can adequately deliver security to the world since they are mothers with a compassionate and caring heart. In my country Cameroon for instance, I strongly uphold that the only solution to the current Anglophone crisis in giving women a lead in peace processes since the war started under the leadership of men.

Women in the English Speaking Regions bear the brunt of the existing crisis since they are left with many mouths to feed, corpses to bury, reconstruction of huts to accommodate fleeing family, farm in the fields no minding stray bullets just to provide food, satisfy sexual needs of men under pressure who rape them and many more. We believe that if those who have experienced violence both from homes and war/conflicts are entrusted with peace processes then the future of security is granted.

It is for this reason that women leaders from the crisis stricken areas came together under the canopy of South West North West Women Task Force- #SNWOT to look for ways to end the crisis by bringing all factions to the dialogue table. In order to achieve this goal the women started with objective number one which was to carry out a lamentation campaign in both regions to draw the attention of the world and most especially the factions in the crisis to the damage their actions are causing to humanity. It was successfully down and the women are moving to objective two which is to get international organizations that adhere to their objectives to join them in a non violent advocacy for the return of peace through dialogue arbitrated by women.

I truly envisage a society where victims of violence are given the front seat in the fight against violence so that lasting solutions can be reached. #WomenNeedJusticeAndPeace. The Future Of Security Is Women.